Classroom Pioneer: Patrice Compton, Parker Elementary counselor

Published 7:15 pm, Monday, September 7, 2015

Photo: Tim Fischer

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Patrice Compton, Parker Elementary counselor. “I truly want kids to know that being a good human being is an important factor in being a ‘success’ at life. I try to focus on who a child wants to be as much as what a child wants to be when they grow up.” less

Patrice Compton, Parker Elementary counselor. “I truly want kids to know that being a good human being is an important factor in being a ‘success’ at life. I try to focus on who a child wants to be as ... more

Photo: Tim Fischer

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Patrice Compton welcomes students and parents to Parker Elementary Wednesday 8-26-2015 morning on the first day of school. Compton, the school counselor at Parker Elementary, is being honored as a Classroom Pioneer. Tim Fischer\Reporter-Telegram less

Patrice Compton welcomes students and parents to Parker Elementary Wednesday 8-26-2015 morning on the first day of school. Compton, the school counselor at Parker Elementary, is being honored as a Classroom ... more

Photo: Tim Fischer

Classroom Pioneer: Patrice Compton, Parker Elementary counselor

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Your character and who you are as a person plays a huge role in the success you will achieve.

That’s the lesson Parker Elementary Counselor Patrice Compton strives to impart on every student she meets.

“I truly want kids to know that being a good human being is an important factor in being a ‘success’ at life. I try to focus on who a child wants to be as much as what a child wants to be when they grow up,” said the career educator.

Compton is in her ninth year as a school counselor and 30th year in education. She has worked in Midland ISD for the last 14 years.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, with an early childhood endorsement, from the University of Tennessee, special education certification and a master’s in counseling from Western Kentucky University.

Compton and Mark, her husband of 32 years, have two children — Susan Compton Seay and Witt Compton. She is the proud grandmother to Cooper and Crawford Seay.

How, and why, do you make a difference in Midland’s educational landscape?

Sometimes making a difference can be the smallest of things. School supplies on the first day when mom doesn’t get paid until next week; holding a child’s hand down the hall to a new classroom when they arrived late or comforting words to a parent when they have anxiety about their child being at school. Unfortunately, many of the challenges our kids face are much more significant and require time and a toolbox of ideas and experience to make a positive impact. I can’t even begin to claim to be the super hero — it takes an effort of a team of people working together. I work very closely with a great team of teachers and support staff at Parker. And my fellow MISD counselors have helped me get through some really tough losses at school as well.

Why did you choose a career in education?

My parents, grandmother and great-grandfather were teachers. I guess it is just in my blood. I used to teach pretend school in my mother’s kitchen for the younger neighborhood children.

How have you moved beyond the basic curriculum and found innovative ways to reach your students?

I have taught in five states and almost every grade level from pre-K through eighth grade, and special education. Innovation is simply a way of life for an educator. When you start over in a new grade level or move to a new place, you never know what will be available to you, so you make do with what you have and learn new things constantly to add to the tools you already have. I am always looking for the next best thing to improve lessons and to engage the students in school activities. I believe that I help move the student population beyond the basic curriculum by involving them in service projects, community events and learning about people, including themselves.

How do you inspire your peers, colleagues and others aiming to make a difference in Midland ISD?

I hope that I inspire with a genuine care for people and a positive attitude.

What are your professional goals for the future?

My professional goals for the future are to continue with any training and education that will help me to serve my students at Parker.

What is the greatest challenge to being an educator in Midland today?

The greatest challenge to being an educator today is poverty and seeing the cycle of poverty as a way of life. If we are going to educate students it has to change. There is no motivation in a child who sees nothing better in their future. We must give them a sense of hope.

What support can Midlanders provide you and other educators?

One of the greatest assets we have at Parker are our 30-plus mentors each year from Pioneer Natural Resources. We partner together and match a student with an employee who visits them on a regular basis at school just to offer encouragement and support on a consistent basis. Most of these students do not have a person at home who asks how they are doing at school. If Midlanders want to make a difference they can. Encourage a child. Support a student. There are multiple organizations and schools you can find a niche in that works for you.